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If you ever wrote for a Sys-Con publication, be prepared for a surprise – you’re a contributor to the “visionary genius” that is Ulitzer (as in ‘Pulitzer’ without the ‘P’ … or the prize). Many of the smartest programmers I know are on the Straight-Talking Java mailing list, a list that was organised  from a former Sys-Con publication’s (JDJ) column many years ago. Many of the guys there wrote for Sys-Con. None of them have much positive to say about the company.

So what is Ulitzer?

Ulitzer is designed to replace Wikipedia with Its three dimensional live content offerings and dynamic topic structure.

I’m not actually sure what that is in fact. Apparently you create your own “virtual” publication by grabbing from the archive of assorted content that Sys-Con can provide you. This cut-and-paste is supposedly the most revolutionary thing since the movable-type printing press:

“The power that new media has to transform society is unquestioned. Gutenburg gave us books, the Lumiere brothers gave us cinema, Gore gave us the Internet, and now SYS-CON brings us Ulitzer,” said Kyle Gabhart, founder of Cloudonomics Journal

Hubris, much? And of course, unlike Wikipedia it’s got a business model! They pay you double what Google will pay them to stick ad-sense revenue on your old articles! Obviously, sustainable … or else there’s a revenue stream they are not telling you about. Get ready for that constant stream of monthly $2.98 cheques, guys! Woo-hoo!

Sys-Con … putting the ‘Con’ into ‘Systems’. Since, like, Gutenberg.

Update: An excellent post on Ulitzer and the business ‘practices’ of Sys-Con by Aral Balkan. Read the links there about their vulgar personal attacks on Aral after he called them out over Ulitzer. Charming.

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